The Little Mermaid
by Movieenthusiast
Summary: Aria ran away from home when she was twelve, determined not to be held prisoner by Triton. Now she's found Eric and getting married but worried about her siblings and their happily ever afters. Based on the Disney Princess movies and contains the other Princesses.
1. Chapter 1

The ocean felt so great against my skin. I loved the way it felt while I swam against the current. Pushing against it worked my muscles. I sighed as I neared the shore. I had been gone from home for six years and I was really not looking forward to seeing my father. I had run away from home when I was twelve when I found out we were a family of mermaids.

Father had told us never to go in the ocean. It was forbidden. It drew me to it though. Being the youngest daughter I got away with a lot more than my five older sisters and my brother. So I went into the ocean that surrounded the castle we lived in. It was on this little island so far out that no one could reach us for days if anything happened. I had never met a person outside of my family.

So I went swimming. And low and behold my body changed. Instead of legs, I had a tail and it felt normal. It felt like I had been missing a part of myself. When I came back to tell my sisters what I had discovered, my father caught me and told me if I said anything he would lock me away. That's when I decided to leave. I turned around and ran.

Now I was coming back. I had met someone and he wanted me to marry him. I wanted my sisters to be there when I did. My father couldn't stop me. Or that's what I kept telling myself as I came up to the shore and changed to human. It was dark so I carefully found the opening in the wall to go through. I crept through the halls of the castle to my old room. I hurried in and shut the door behind me.

My room looked exactly the same as it did six years ago. Same furniture and all my belongings right where I left them, except there was someone asleep in my bed. I smiled to myself. It was my sister Megan. I went over and shook her a little.

"Hmm?" She moaned as her eyes fluttered open. "Aria?"

"Yes, its me." I whispered as she sat up. "Megan why are you in here?"

"I knew you would come back. Father didn't think so. Why did he think that?" She asked.

"Because he threatened me before I left. I didn't want to live locked up here for the rest of my life." I shrugged.

"What did you do?" she whispered.

"I went in the ocean and found something father wanted to keep hidden." I explained. "When I hit the water to swim my legs turned into a tail, a mermaid tail, Megan."

"What? Aria that can't be right." She shook her head. "One of us would have found out about it by now. There's no way Jen or Kane wouldn't have found that out by now."

"I don't know why they haven't found out. Are they still here?" I stood up.

"Aria, everyone is still here. After you left father had two more children. We have two younger brothers now." Megan sighed. "Father won't let us out of the castle anymore since you left."

"Seriously? Megan he can't do that. You have to come with me. We need to get everyone and leave." I stated. "Besides I want you guys there when I get married." I grinned.

"You're getting married? To whom, may I ask?" She stuttered.

"His name is Eric. He lives in a huge castle by the beach. You just swim . . . " I started to explain when I saw the look on Megan's face directed behind me. I slowly turned around knowing I would see our father standing there.

"Aria I'm so glad you're home." His voice boomed into the room. I gulped as I stood up from the bed.

"Father." I nodded as I noticed a little boy standing behind him.

"Aria that's Danny." Megan whispered as the little boy ran into the room and hugged her.

"Danny? One of our brothers right?" I asked.

"Yes, you would know who they were if you had been here the last six years." Our father growled. "Why don't you come with me? I'm sure your other siblings would love to see you." He gave me a pointed look.

"Umm no thanks. I'm going to stay here with Megan. We have a lot of catching up to do you know. Since I've been gone for six years." I crossed my arms and sat back down.

Father pulled out a key as he stepped out of the room. He shut the door and locked it behind him. "Aria you're not leaving again."

I shook my head then looked at the six-year-old boy sitting on the bed with us. "Hello Danny, I'm Aria."

"Our sister that disappeared? That the ocean took away from us?" He whispered to Megan. She smiled and nodded at him.

"The ocean didn't take me away." I told him. I looked up at Megan. "We need to leave. I have to get back to Eric. And you shouldn't stay here anymore."

"We can't leave the others here." She shook her head. I got up and grabbed a bag. I went to the window and looked out. There was a tree close enough to climb on to get outside.

"Megan have you been staying in my room or are your clothes in another room?" I turned and asked.

"I have some dresses in here." She went to the closet and showed me. I went over and folded up two of them into the bag I held.

"We need to leave. Eric can help us get the others. Besides I don't know what father will do." I climbed out the window into the tree. "Come on Megan."

She stood there debating with herself for a minute then climbed out after me. We turned back to the window. "Danny . . ." She groaned. He was looking out at us. Megan looked at me. "We need to take him with us."

"Okay hold on." I climbed back into the room and put a few blankets into my bag. I picked up Danny and handed him to Megan.

"Megan, where are we going?" I heard him whisper. She looked over at me as I climbed out again.

"Danny we are going to another castle that's much bigger than this one. It's on a bigger island where you can go outside and play with other children." I explained.

"Okay, how are we getting there?" Megan asked as we climbed down the tree.

"Swimming." I smiled as we ran down to the beach. I dove into the water and flipped my tail out of the water to show Megan. "See?"

"Wow." She gasped. She waded out into the water and handed Danny to me so she could dive in. When she came back up her legs had changed to a tail. "This is amazing."

"We better go before we get caught. Who knows what will happen." I held Danny tight in my arms and started swimming. I heard Megan swimming behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

By the time morning came Danny was shivering in my arms. "We're almost there. Then we will get you warm."

"Ooookkkkaaaaayyyyy." Danny chattered as he huddled closer.

"There's the shore Megan." I pointed. About ten minutes later we were lying on the sand back in human form. I pulled the blankets and dresses out of my bag and wrung them out. I learned that every time I changed my clothes somehow didn't make it back.

It looked like Megan was discovering the same thing. "Ahh, Aria where are my clothes?" She shrieked. I just laughed.

"Why do you think I packed clothes?" I asked as I handed her a dress. I bent down and wrapped Danny in a damp blanket.

"Does Eric know about you?" She asked as we put on our clothes.

"Of course. How do you think we met?" I smiled. "He was walking on the beach when I walked out of the ocean after swimming back here."

"How long ago was that?" She asked while she leaned against a rock.

"It's been a few months." I sighed as I picked up Danny and started walking up the hill toward the castle there.

"Wait did you say he ran into you right after you were swimming?" Megan jerked her head to face me, watching how I would respond.

My face broke into a wide grin. "Yes as I walked out of the ocean. It was quite funny seeing his face grow from shock to embarrassment in a matter of seconds." He had in fact been more stunned by me standing there, stark naked rather than seeing me change from mermaid to human. Apparently there were merpeople that came to shore in his kingdom a lot. Which he explained to me while I yanked on my clothing. The whole time I felt his eyes on me.

Growing up with five sisters who were all gorgeous I always just felt gawky and plain. My sisters, Megan included, had long wavy blonde hair and blue green eyes. They all had curves to die for and beautiful porcelain skin. I was a tall, skinny thing with straight red-gold hair. My older sisters, Delia, Ashlee and Jen, always made fun of my looks. Always saying that I had to be adopted, that mother couldn't have born an ugly child.

Feeling Eric's eyes on me that day though, it felt wonderful. I felt gorgeous while he looked at me, powerful. It made me smile just remembering the way my body flushed in response to the heat in his eyes.

We came to the city at the foot of the castle. Unlike father's castle that was surrounded by thick, stone walls, Eric's castle was open to everybody. He had royalty visiting from other countries constantly. As we walked up to the castle people smiled and greeted me. I had lived and worked here since I had been seventeen. Most of them knew me and were glad to see me back.

Danny was still shivering in my arms so I didn't stop to talk with anyone. I ran up the steps to the castle doors and knocked on them with my foot. A guard opened the door. "Yes? May I help you?"

"I'm Aria, the prince's fiancé and this is my sister and brother. Eric is expecting me." I stated.

"Oh, yes of course. Come with me." He waved us inside. He took us up some stairs to the guest wing. We went into the room he opened for us.

"Is there a chance you could send up some food and dry clothes for us?" I asked as he bowed to me.

"Of course my lady. I will also tell the prince you are back." He closed the door behind him. I went and sat Danny down on a chair. Megan got him undressed and under a blanket next to the fire. After a few minutes he stopped shivering.

"Aria, I'm hungry." Danny whispered just as the maid knocked on the door. I turned as she entered the room with a tray heavy with food.

I smiled at the maid. "Right on time." She brought the tray over and put it on the table. "You can have whatever you want to eat Danny."

He stood up with the blanket grasped in one hand as he sat down in front of the table and started scarfing down food as the maid came back in with some dry clothes.

"My lady, the prince has asked you to meet him in his rooms after you are comfortable." She bowed to us, and then left.

"Megan the bathroom is through that door right there if you want to bathe, there's the food and the bed if you guys are tired. The maid will be back to grab our wet clothes and you can ask her for anything you like. I will be back soon." I grinned as I went to change behind a screen in the dressing room. The maid had given me a simple chemise, corset and morning dress. It was pale green and had short sleeves. I pulled on my stockings and slipped into the slippers provided. When I was dressed I ran out the door.

I knew exactly where Eric's room was. I had been in there plenty of times. I quietly opened the door to his sitting room. I heard him walking around in the bedroom. I smiled and hid in one of the curtains as he walked into the sitting room. He was talking to his valet.

I peeked out to see where they were and saw Eric's back to me. Thomas, his valet, was facing me. His eyes flicked to mine as I put my finger up to my mouth, silently telling him not to say anything. I slipped into the bedroom and crawled onto the big four-poster bed. It felt so good to be back, in the castle, with Eric. I sighed as I laid back onto the pillows and waited for Eric to find me.

"Aria, Aria wake up." I heard in my ear.

"Mmm why?" I mumbled back as soft lips came over mine. They bit gently on mine to open.

"I missed you." Eric groaned against my mouth. He sat up and pulled me into his lap.

"And I missed you. What did I miss while I was away?" I asked as he hugged me tighter.

"Emma and Philip are here along with Sage. They are the first ones to get here. In the next few weeks everyone should be here for our wedding." He smiled. "They are excited to meet you."

"Good I'm hoping your friends will like me. When will I meet them?" I sighed and leaned into him.

"At dinner. I want you to myself for now." He started kissing my neck, up my jaw and finally to my lips. He kissed me softly at first, teasing me. Impatiently I turned towards him and shoved him down onto his back. I threw my leg over him and bent forward to kiss him harder. I bit his lower lip and he opened his mouth for me. I slid my tongue between his teeth and smiled as he met it with his.

His hands traveled down my arms back to the laces of my dress. He started to untie them when I sat up. "I love you Eric."

"I love you Aria." He started to pull me back down to him.

"Eric, my father is keeping my brothers and sisters prisoner. Megan and Danny came with me. They were the only two I saw before father locked me away. Danny is only six. He doesn't understand why we left, who I am, why he wasn't allowed out of the castle. Megan said we have another brother at home that's younger." I put my head in my hands as I started crying.

"Baby, we will figure this out. At least Megan and Danny are safe now." Eric slid over and pulled me into his arms.

"I didn't realize he would lock them up when I left. I don't understand why he doesn't want us to know about who we are. I just want my family to be happy, like me. I found you and Megan, Jen, Kane, Ashlee, Delia, Jace and Beth deserve the same. I'm afraid of what he's going to do." I shook my head and buried my face deeper into his shoulder.

"After the wedding we will talk to the guys and figure out what we can do. I will send someone to watch over your family until then. They will let us know what's going on with them okay?" He squeezed me tighter. "Now introduce me to your sister."

"Okay." I wiped my eyes, grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.

Eric snickered as I turned to open the door. "Aria wait, your dress needs to be laced back up."

"You got farther than I thought you did." I laughed as he laced up my dress.

"This is the last thing I wanted to do you know. I was supposed to be taking the dress off you." He kissed under my ear and took my hand again. I grinned and opened the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

I knocked when we made it to the room Megan and Danny were staying in. "Come in." I heard Megan say. I opened the door and saw her sitting by the fire reading a book. Danny wasn't in the room.

"Where's Danny?" I asked.

"Asleep. Apparently being held and kept awake all night in freezing water wears a person out." She smiled and looked behind me. "You must be Eric." She stood up and tried to curtsy.

"Megan it's okay." I laughed. Eric smiled and bowed to Megan.

"It's nice to meet you. Aria talks of almost nothing else but her family." He slipped his hand back into mine and squeezed.

"I hope you get the chance to meet the others. Aria said that you'd see if you can help our siblings?" She probed.

"Yes, with all of the visiting royalty for the wedding we will have help reasoning with your father and finding out what his reasons are for locking you all away. I'm working on getting some more information at the moment. For now though you should relax and enjoy the celebrations coming for the next few weeks." He explained.

"Thank you. I look forward to getting to know you better. I do wonder though how you caught Aria. She was never one to sit still and settle down." Megan grinned mischievously. I stuck my tongue out at her and she laughed.

"I told you how we met Megan." I replied before Eric could say anything.

"Yes I got the general meaning of what you said. But that isn't how he caught you." She smiled as I shook my head.

"At dinner tonight I'm sure Emma will ask the same questions." Eric smirked. I saw his eyes flick to the door to the bedroom. I looked over and saw Danny standing there, wrapped in a blanket.

"Hey Danny. Did you sleep okay?" I waved. He looked down at the floor and shrugged. Megan went over and picked him up in her arms. She walked over to us.

"Aria can I have a cookie?" I heard him whisper. I smiled.

"Yes we can get you a cookie." I turned to the door and saw a maid there with a tray. I looked over at Megan questioningly.

"I asked her to bring up some tea right before you guys showed up." She shrugged. Danny squirmed in her arms so she put him down and he ran over to where the maid had set the tray.

"Thank you." I nodded at the maid. I caught the hint of a smile as she left the room.

"Who's that?" I heard Danny ask. I crouched down so that he could see my eyes.

"This is Eric. He's going to be your brother in a few weeks. He was really excited to meet you." I smiled as he shoved a cookie in his mouth. He took a minute to chew.

After he swallowed he bent closer to me. "Is he the one that took you away from us?" He wrapped his arms around my neck and held on tight as I smiled gently.

"No Danny he didn't take me away from you. He actually was the one that told me to go home and see you." I tried to explain without scaring him. He pulled away to look at my face.

"You won't leave again? I can stay with you?" He stared at me waiting for my answer. A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Yes Danny you can stay with me as long as you want. I won't leave you again." I pulled him back into a hug. I picked him up. "Do you want to say hello to Eric?"

"Okay." He mumbled. I took him over to see Eric who was watching me. There was a gentle smile on his face as he watched me step closer to him.

"Hello Danny. It's good to meet you." Eric bowed to Danny.

Danny started giggling. "Why did you bow?"

"Because you are a very important person here at my castle." He grinned.

"This is your castle?" Danny asked him when Eric had straightened. He nodded in response to Danny, giving him his full attention. I glanced over at Megan. She was watching us with a shocked look on her face. I caught her eye, silently asking what was up with her expression. She shook her head at me.

"Yes, this is my castle." Eric replied.

"You must be a king then." Danny nodded to himself. Eric chuckled.

"I'm a prince. My father is the king right now. But I will be king one day." Eric explained. I smiled at him.

"Aria, are there any toys here?" Danny turned toward me so I could hear him.

"I'm not sure. Why don't you ask Eric? He has a lot of things you might like." I told him. He turned back to look at Eric expectantly.

"We have a room full of toys. There's also a lot of grass outside if you want to play out there." His face scrunched up as he thought about what might interest Danny.

"We can go outside here?" Danny grinned widely.

"Yes you can go outside all you want, as long as you have someone with you." I told him. He looked so happy about this. "Do you want to go outside and play? I'm sure there's a ball we can find for you to play with."

"Yes! Will Eric come with?" Danny scrambled out of my arms to find his shoes the maid had left earlier today.

"I think I have time to come play with you." Eric answered. Megan slid on her slippers and slipped on a shawl. We followed Danny and Eric outside to the courtyard. Danny was swinging on Eric's arms and running in circles around him.

I hung back with Megan. "What was that look back in the room?" I asked her.

"I just realized that of all of us, you're the happiest. You found love and you're going to have a family. Growing up we all dreamed of having a handsome prince come rescue us from that island. You and I knew that it wouldn't happen. Watching Jen get older and not meet anyone outside of the family was the worst part. There wasn't any hope of being rescued.

"Looking at you though, you didn't need a prince to rescue you. You knew what you wanted and you made it happen for yourself and yet you still found the handsome prince. Watching the two of you with Danny, You're both going to be good parents. And he loves you very much Aria." Megan finished with tears running down her cheeks.

"You're free now Megan. You can find someone that will make you happy. You won't end up like Jen." I hugged her. Looking at Megan I realized that I had been very lucky. When I had run away I was so angry at my father for keeping our heritage from us. I was mad that he made me run away.

Things had been hard for me, being twelve and having to provide for myself. I worked odd jobs, delivering groceries for people in the market, sleeping in a cave I found that you couldn't get to without swimming. I went hungry a few times. Finally I had decided to travel and explore the world beyond Skagen. The day I had returned was the day I met Eric. I was seventeen.

"Who are we meeting tonight at dinner?" Megan brought me back from my memories.

"Emma, Philip and Sage. They are from a country called Italy. They are the first guests to come for the wedding." I explained. "I believe Eric told me Sage is Philip's younger brother. Emma and Sage are the same age, twenty-one. The same age as you as it just so happens."

"Alright. Do you think they will help us?" She asked me.

"Eric said all of these royals would help. They are Eric's friends. They all grew up visiting each other's kingdoms." I shrugged. "Either way we will get the others here. Now stop worrying. " I grinned as I sat on the grass to pull my slippers off. After those were off I pulled off my stockings to feel the grass on my feet as I walked. Megan stood there gaping at me when I stood up. I stuffed my stockings into my slippers and dropped them back onto the grass.

I gave Megan a little shove and started running through the courtyard towards Eric and Danny. I ran past Danny and turned to see Megan laughing as she chased me. I picked Danny up and spun him in a circle before taking off again. I felt Danny laughing against my chest. I put him down in the grass and he had just enough time to get out of the way before someone tackled me to the ground.

"I was always the faster runner." Megan rolled on the ground as she tried to stop laughing. I laughed as Danny came and jumped on top of me. I started to tickle him as he tried to scramble away from me.

"Eric, help me!" Danny yelled. I heard Eric kneel on the grass next to me.

"Should I tickle her back?" Eric asked as his hands gripped my waist. I started to crawl away before he could start.

"Yes!" Danny giggled as I let go of him to get away. I stood up and started running away. I heard someone chasing me. I turned to see who it was and strong hands lifted me off the ground.

"That's not fair." I laughed as Eric turned me back to face him. "You're stronger than I am." He pulled me against him and kissed me.

"Mmm," I groaned as my hands wrapped around his neck.

"Yuck, that's gross." I heard Danny say. Eric and I broke away to look at him. "Is it time for dinner? I'm hungry."

"Why don't we go inside to see? We all need to change anyway. We are covered in dirt." Eric looked me up and down. I felt a blush cover my body everywhere he looked.

"Come on Danny. You need a bath." Megan grabbed his hand and led him back inside to their room. Eric and I waited for them to leave before turning back to each other.

Eric pressed me back against the castle wall, trapping me in his arms. "You are so beautiful." He whispered against my neck as he started kissing me.

"You make me feel beautiful Eric." I huskily replied as his hands travelled down my arms to my waist. They brushed my hips before heading up my sides to cup my breasts. He started brushing my nipples through the fabric of my dress with his thumbs. My head tipped back as I let out a quiet groan.

He gently bit my collarbone before kissing my mouth again. I pulled back a little. "Don't start something we can't finish now." I sighed.

"You're right. Later tonight." He grumbled. "We better go get ready. I don't really want to explain to Emma why we are late, not that she won't know why." I kissed him gently before we walked inside. "The maid is in your room waiting." He sighed.

"Soon." I smiled seductively as I opened the door. Eric's room was the room that attached to mine which was convenient for us but it was farther away from the room Megan and Danny were in.

"My lady, how was you're trip?" Lacey asked when I walked in. I smiled as I looked around my room. I loved this room. The furniture was a rich cherry wood and the walls were a deep purple. The chairs were a dark forest green along with the curtains covering the glass door to the balcony.

"It was alright. It could have gone better." I shrugged as she helped me undress.

"I chose the midnight blue gown for you tonight. Is that alright?" She asked.

"Of course. You know it doesn't matter to me either way." I sighed as I stepped into the bath she had drawn for me. The warm water felt good against my aching legs. Swimming all night had worn me out more than I had realized. "Has anyone else arrived?"

"Actually while you were with the Prince and your sister, Ella and James arrived." She told me as she helped me wash the dirt and salt from my skin.

"Is that why it's going to be more formal tonight?" I asked when we had finished washing my hair.

"Yes. Emma and Philip don't really care for things to be so formal when they visit. With Ella and James here though a lot of the nobility want to be here. So the king wants to have dinner and dancing tonight." She explained.

"Lacey will you watch Danny tonight for me? I'm worried about leaving him alone. I wasn't expecting him not being able to eat with us. He might get upset." I stepped out of the bath water and wrapped a towel around myself. I quickly dried off while she went to pull out all the necessary undergarments for my dress. I wrung my hair out to help it dry faster before going into my dressing room.

I slipped on the silk chemise, pulled my stockings on and stepped into the petticoats. "Your already so skinny you almost don't need the corset." She stood there looking from me to the corset and back again. "If I lace the dress tight enough it would look like you were wearing one except for the fact that the corset pushes up your breasts and keeps them up."

I laughed. "Let's put it on for tonight. I'd feel weird without it on."

"Alright." Lacey grumbled as she laced me into it. It really didn't do anything to make my waist smaller. It just helped me sit a little straighter and pushed my pathetically small breasts high enough that the tops of them would be visible over the dress's scandalously low neckline.

The dress was very simple by the women of the courts standards. It was made from satin but lacked any feathers or lace. There were no intricate designs or ribbons, just the midnight blue satin. The sleeves fell off my shoulders leaving them completely bare.

"You look amazing. Now lets fix up your hair before Beth brings Megan here so I can go keep an eye on Danny. I'll take him to the nursery where all the toys are after he eats dinner." She sat me down on the stool and coiled my hair into a low, slightly messy chignon leaving a few pieces loose around my ears. She slid a comb in to hold it in place. I picked up my engagement ring and put it back on my finger.

"All done." Lacey said. "I will go take care of Danny now and let Beth know Megan can head over so you guys can go down together." She curtsied and left. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked really good. A lot of the noble's didn't understand the lack of embellishment on my clothing.

There was a knock on my door. "Come in." I answered. Megan opened the door. She looked beautiful in a deep red satin dress with black lace peeking out of the neckline. "You look amazing Megan."

"Thank you. So do you. Danny was headed up to the nursery with your maid when I left." She told me. I nodded.

"Yea I asked her to take care of him. I felt bad about leaving him alone tonight." I played with my skirt getting it to lay just right.

"I'm glad he will have something to do while we are downstairs." She held out her hand to me. "Are you ready?"

"Yea I guess so." I sucked in a deep breath. "Let's get this over with."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The music broke out as the doors closed behind us. The first dance was the Quadrille. I went in search of Megan. We had been taught all of the latest dances growing up but had never had the chance to do them. I spotted her, dancing with a gentleman I didn't recognize. I saw Sage talking to Emma. He kept giving the man murderous glances when he was in his line of vision. I smiled and went over to introduce myself to Emma.

We both curtsied to each other. "Sage is quite taken with your sister Aria." She snickered as Sage glared at her.

"I'm surprised he let her go at all." I joked.

"You ladies are going to drive me up the wall." He murmured under his breath. Both Emma and I gave each other knowing looks.

"Don't worry Sage. She doesn't have eyes for anyone else either." I smiled as I caught Megan peeking at us over her partner.

"Thank god. He would be in a sour mood all night if that weren't the case." Emma laughed as Sage rolled his eyes.

"How was your trip here? No trouble I hope." I turned to Emma.

"Nope it was great. I always love coming up to visit Eric. He was always so lonely before. Now I haven't seen him without a smile on his face. It's good to know he is finally happy. And you both fit well together." She grasped my hand. "I hope we can be close friends."

I smiled at her. She looked so much like my sisters. She had the same straw colored hair and curvy figure, though she was a little shorter than Megan was. "Of course." I glanced at the crowd of people gathering next to the balcony doors.

"They are all here for Ella and James aren't they?" I asked Emma. Her smile dropped a little.

"Yes, Ella and James don't travel very often because of this. After they've been here a while things will die down. Most of us don't like the big fuss." She apologized.

"Actually I'm glad the attention isn't on me. It always makes me feel like they are making fun of me. I mean I was a maid for Eric. All the noble's know that." I sighed.

"Ella feels the same way with all the attention on her. She was her family's maid. All of us royals feel like no one approves of us." She patted my arm.

"Emma you don't ever feel like that do you?" Sage asked. I had forgotten he was standing next to me.

"I had a curse on me remember? Causing the whole court to fall asleep when I was pricked and fell asleep myself." She grumbled. My eyes widened in shock.

"Hasn't Eric told you?" She asked me when she saw the look on my face. "No? Well, I had a curse put on me as a child by a sorceress, that I would die on my sixteenth birthday. A fairy altered it, saying I would fall asleep until my true love woke me with a kiss. Well when this happened Philip went to rescue me when the sorceress tried to stop him. She turned herself into a dragon. Philip killed her, came to the court and found me. He kissed me and I woke up."

"Wow, mine and Eric's story sounds lame compared to that." I mumbled.

"Uhh I wouldn't say that." Emma's knowing look made me giggle. "Eric is trying to find you."

"Thanks Emma." I smiled and went to find him. He was next to James and Ella searching the crowd for me. I moved past the people and made it to his side. He grabbed my hand and squeezed.

"Made some friends?" He asked. I nodded and looked over at Ella. She looked like she was ready to scream.

"I can't believe I told Philip that story." I blushed. "I'm just glad your father stopped me from admitting the rest of it."

"Oh? He didn't hear the part where we locked ourselves in the library and ravaged each other?" He whispered in my ear. I shivered as his breath hit my neck.

"No, he didn't."

"He will. Emma knows the whole story. Or my side anyway." Eric shrugged as I shook my head at him. "And you will have to repeat it when the others get here."

"Are we the only ones that had sex before getting married?" I asked him quietly.

He smirked at me. "You will have to find out for yourself."

"Well Ella and James's story doesn't make it sound like they did. And Emma and Philip seem like they could have but she didn't hint at anything like that." I replied.

"Who told you the stories?" He asked.

"Philip told me Ella's and Emma told me hers." I looked at his face as he grinned and shook his head.

"My dear you need to get Philips side of that story. Ella and James's was probably correct though. Philip doesn't leave out that kind of thing as I'm sure you figured out." Eric looked around as the crowd started to thin out. He turned to James. "Took control ehh?"

"Ella was going to scream if I didn't do something." He replied.

"Would that have been so bad? It might get around to people that I don't want their attention." Ella growled as she came to stand next to me. "Hello Aria, it's good to meet you."

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too." I curtsied to her as she did the same for me.

"Now what horrible thing did Philip say to you about me? I felt my skin crawl during dinner which means he was saying something not true." She eyed my face.

"He just told me how you and James met." I told her.

"Did he now? I knew he wasn't to be trusted when he asked us that question James." In response James just laughed. "You didn't tell him the truth did you? He already thinks I'm a stick in the mud. Always proper and all."

"Well I did tell him the truth. It's not like we had time to do anything before our wedding. We got married the day after I found you. It isn't that hard to figure out." James shrugged.

Ella moaned. "Great now he's going to make fun of me."

"Well its not like Emma would have let him do anything to her until they were married, so she will back you up." Eric put in. I gave him a puzzled look.

"That's true. Emma's too stubborn to have her mind changed once it's made up." James clapped Eric on the shoulder. "Thanks man."

"You guys mean to tell me that we are the only ones who . . . " I gulped as I felt myself blush.

"Yep, so far anyway. I'm betting Al and Mina couldn't wait though. " I heard Philip behind me. The group laughed.

"Mina never was one for rules so that wouldn't surprise me." James said. "Oh it sounds like the next one's a waltz. Ella?" He held his hand out to her. She took it as they glided out to the dance floor.

"I better go find Emma." Philip ran off in search of his wife.

"Aria? Shall we?" Eric pulled me out to dance. I put my head on his shoulder and sighed. "So do you like my friends so far?"

"Yes they are very interesting. Is it normal to have conversations like that?" I asked him.

"Yep, we share just about everything with each other. When all the girls get here and insist on a girl's night you will find out things about their husbands that you might not want to know. And you will share things with them about us." He pulled me closer to him.

"When will the night end?" I asked him after a few minutes.

"This is the last dance of the night. Father is expecting Rick and Syd tomorrow and possibly Adam and Belle." He answered.

"Alright. I need to check on Danny before I go to bed. I'm hoping he is alright." I was pretty sure things were okay because Lacey didn't need to send anyone to come get Megan or me.

"If that would make you feel better we can move their room closer to ours." He suggested.

"That'd be great if it's okay with Megan. You know I think her and Sage might hit it off. They couldn't take their eyes off each other the whole night."

"That's good. I hope Megan is feeling better about being here. I know you were worried she might go back home."

"Yea I was. She seemed really nervous that our father would do something horrible to everyone at home. It made me wonder if he did something to them other than not allowing them outside when I left." I bit my lip. Eric groaned a little bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I pulled back to look at him. He was watching my mouth. I bit my lip again and I saw heat flare in his eyes.

"You better hurry back to the room tonight." He whispered huskily. Heat pooled in my belly as I thought about the things he would do to me when we were alone. I distantly heard the music end and the whole room applaud the band. "Go check on Danny." He pushed me gently to the doors.

"Thank you all for coming this evening. It's time for us all to head home and retire for the evening." Eric's father announced before I left the room.

I rushed up the stairs and ran into Lacey. "My lady." She curtsied.

"Lacey how's Danny?" I asked breathlessly.

"He was just fine tonight. He's asleep in your sisters room." She reassured me.

"I'm so glad. Did he ask where we were?"

"I think Megan explained everything to him while she got ready. He seemed happy to just play with all the toys in the nursery. It's a mess in there now. He got out just about everything. When Prince Nate arrives he will have someone to play with. Prince Nate has a six-year-old brother. Now Miss you better get to your room before his highness comes to hunt you down." She shooed me down toward my room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

I smiled at her and made my way to my room. I opened the door quietly and slipped inside. I closed the door and turned around just as Eric pushed me against the door. He pinned me there as he kissed my throat. He nipped at my jaw as he made his way up to my mouth. I groaned as he slid his tongue between my teeth to dance against my tongue. His hands let go of my arms and travelled to my breasts. He teased them a little bit before yanking down the neckline of my dress to bare them both. They spilled into his hands and he bent down to take one of my nipples into his mouth.

I held on to his shoulders to keep from collapsing and he kneed my legs apart and inserted his thigh between them. He started rubbing his thigh on the center of me as he moved to my other breast to give it the same treatment as the first one. I hooked my fingers into his jacket and shoved it off his shoulders. I started to unbutton his shirt when he hiked up my skirts to my waist. He kissed me fiercely on the mouth before picking me up and taking me to the bed. He gently put me down before taking off the shirt I had managed to unbutton.

I drank in the site of his lean muscles as he unbuttoned his pants. His pants slid down his legs and I raked my eyes over his body before meeting his eyes. My breathing hitched as I saw the heat in his eyes. I laid my head back and bared my throat to him as I felt him crawl up the bed. I felt a tug before I heard fabric rip. I moaned as the air met the heat of my skin through my chemise. I felt the pressure release in my chest as Eric took my corset off. I opened my eyes to see what he was doing when I felt his tongue flick against my clit. "Ahhh," I groaned as he sunk it inside me. I felt pressure building inside me, getting stronger as he continued licking me. Then his lips covered my clit as he sucked it into his mouth. "Eric!" I cried as I reached my limit.

The pressure slowly abated as he held himself over me. He kissed me and I tasted myself on his lips. He pulled my chemise off me and settled himself between my thighs. He rubbed over my slit before slowly pushing inside me. I heard him hiss as he tried to control himself. I thrust my hips up to bring him deeper inside me. "Aria, I won't last if you do that." He groaned in my ear. I smiled and wrapped my legs around his waist.

He sank in all the way before letting out his breath. He rubbed a sweet spot deep inside me and I moaned. He started picking up the pace and I closed my eyes to hear the slapping of skin on skin as he pounded into me. "Faster, baby, faster." I groaned out. I heard him growl as he went faster. "Eric!" I screamed out as I came again. He pumped into me twice more before letting out a groan and collapsing on top of me. I massaged his shoulders as he caught his breath.

He rolled off me and pulled me up against his side. "I love you Aria." He whispered in my ear as I cuddled closer to him.

"I love you too Eric. Now go to sleep. It's been a long day." I kissed his shoulder and fell asleep.

I woke up to the sun shining through my eyelids. I groaned and rolled over, covering my head with a pillow. The blankets were yanked off me. I chucked the pillow in the general direction they were pulled from and heard it collide with something. I cracked an eye open to find Eric standing at the foot of the bed with the pillow I threw in his hands. I went to grab for another one and he tackled me.

"Time to wake up. You were going to sleep the day away and we have some visitors downstairs." He kissed my cheek and smacked my ass before he got up and headed into his room.

I rolled myself out of bed in search of food. A tray was on the table and I heard water running in the other room for my bath. I picked up a biscuit and saw my dress in shreds on the floor. I went peeking into Eric's room. I saw him sitting at his desk reading something. "Lacey is going to kill you for ripping my dress. I promised her it wouldn't happen again."

"I always end up ripping the ones that make you even more beautiful than you already are." He turned to grin at me.

"That would be most of them in your opinion. I might have to start locking my doors and get undressed before I let you in. My wardrobe is suffering the consequences." I shook my head and went to bathe.

"Prince Eric!" I heard a shriek from my room as I stepped out of the tub. I laughed, dried myself off and pulled on my dressing gown.

"Yes Lacey?" I heard Eric chuckle. I walked into the bedroom and saw Lacey glaring at Eric in the doorway connecting our rooms. He had an easy smile on his face. Lacey on the other hand was fuming.

"Aria promised me you wouldn't do this again!" She stamped her foot in anger. "Look at it. I don't think I can even attempt to repair this one." She held the fabric out to him.

His eyes flicked to me and a mischievous smile played across his lips. "Aria never told me that."

I pursed my lips as Lacey whipped around to glare at me. "He didn't give me any time to tell him."

"You both are horrible. Trying to blame each other. I guess it shows how scary I am. If this happens again I am going to make it difficult for you to get in here at all your highness." She straightened up and walked to my wardrobe to get my clothing for this morning.

"What visitors are here?" I asked Eric as I waited.

"Well Adam and Belle got here, with Belle's sisters Rose and Larissa, who went into town before you rolled out of bed but there's a girl that looks like Megan downstairs. I told Lacey to get someone to keep Megan and Danny away from the front hall until we dealt with her." He explained.

As Lacey helped me dress, I scrunched up my face trying to figure out which of my sisters would be downstairs and what she could possibly want. And how she knew we were here. When Lacey was finished she quickly braided my hair, I slid my slippers on my feet and Eric and I rushed downstairs.

When we got closer I slowed down to study the woman standing with her back to me. She had long blonde hair that hung wet, to her waist. Clearly she had come from the ocean, which confused me. Her curves were more pronounced than Megan's indicating she was older, which I already knew because Megan was the second youngest daughter.

She turned around when Eric cleared his throat. Her eyes were a dark, stormy blue that flashed green when she was angry. I had seen the anger in her eyes more often than not. It was my older sister Jen. I shuddered as she watched me come down the stairs. I stopped at the bottom and eyed her wearily.

"Jen?" I gulped. Her and Kane had always scared me, so much so that I avoided them whenever it was possible.

"Hello Aria, it's been a long time." She grinned at me as her eyes flashed to green. I grabbed Eric's arm and held him against me as I felt my face drain of color.

"Aria? What's wrong? Your face is white." Eric whispered in my ear as he tried to walk forward. I dug my feet into the carpet and pulled on his arm to stop.

"Jen scares me. Don't get closer until we know why she's here." I replied quietly.

He nodded to me and turned back to look at Jen. "You must be one of Aria's sisters."

"Yes, I am her oldest sister, Jen." Her eyes flickered to Eric then I saw her take a second, slow look at him.

"May I ask what you're doing here?" He said slowly.

"I'm here to talk to my sister. Who would you be?" She grinned wickedly at him.

I glared at her. "This is Prince Eric. He's my fiancé." I ground out. Her gaze flashed to me before settling back on Eric.

"A prince huh? Well now how did Aria get so lucky?" She purred as she sauntered toward us. I stepped between her and Eric before she got any closer.

"What do you want Jen? And where is Kane? You guys never go anywhere without each other." I asked, suspicious of her intent.

"Father sent me to bring back Megan and Danny. Kane is around here somewhere, probably in town. He saw something that struck his fancy." She shrugged.

"Megan and Danny are perfectly safe. They like being here as opposed to being locked up at home. I promised Danny I wouldn't leave him ever again." I told her.

"Why doesn't your father want Aria to come home?" Eric asked.

"Too many people here know about her, besides she isn't really our sister so he doesn't really care what happens to her." She smirked as my face went white once again.


End file.
